Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods: Advancing Metabolic, Reproductive and Immune Health in Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 2068

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Interests: ruminants’ physiology; lactation physiology; ruminant metabolism and reproduction
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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Interests: animal physiology; reproduction; endocrinology; welfare

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Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy
Interests: farming system; animal husbandry; sperm quality; poultry science; rabbit science; polyunsaturated fatty acids; meat quality; food security; value chain; sustainable food production; camel production; camel reproduction

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The growing demand for sustainable and ethical animal production practices necessitates exploring innovative nutritional strategies. Therefore, this Special Issue explores the potential of nutraceuticals and functional foods to enhance animal health, focusing on metabolic, reproductive, and immune functions.

Nutraceuticals encompass a diverse range of food-derived bioactive compounds with scientifically proven health benefits. Functional foods, on the other hand, are whole foods or fortified products designed to promote specific health functions beyond basic nutrition. Both nutraceuticals and functional foods offer a promising approach to physiologically improve animal health and well-being without solely relying on conventional veterinary treatments.

This Special Issue invites original research and review articles that explore the versatile applications of nutraceuticals and functional foods in enhancing overall animal health.

We encourage submissions that investigate the impact of these dietary interventions on various aspects of animal physiology, including the following:

  • Metabolic health: Studies investigating the role of nutraceuticals and functional foods in regulating different metabolisms (such as blood sugar and improving lipid profiles), as well as boosting overall metabolic efficiency in animals.
  • Reproductive health: Research investigating how these dietary components can influence fertility, receptivity, and offspring health as well as development in different animal species.
  • Immune health: Articles examining the potential of nutraceuticals and functional foods to modulate the immune response, enhance disease resistance, and promote gut health in animals.

This Special Issue aims to stimulate the further exploration and development of nutraceutical as well as functional food applications for animal health. We believe that this approach holds significant potential to improve animal production practices, fostering a future of enhanced animal health, welfare, and product quality.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Giulio Curone
Dr. Alda Quattrone
Dr. Nour Elhouda Fehri
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal physiology
  • nutraceuticals
  • functional foods
  • reproduction
  • immune function
  • metabolism
  • metabolic regulation
  • fertility
  • animal health

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 754 KiB  
Article
Impact of Dietary Enrichment with Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids from Extruded Linseed and Padina pavonica Algae Extract on Growth Performance and Metabolic Status in Fattening Rabbits
by Alda Quattrone, Doriana Beqiraj, Nour Elhouda Fehri, Rafik Belabbas, Daniele Vigo, Laura Menchetti, Olimpia Barbato, Sebastiana Failla, Massimo Faustini, Shereen Salama Ghoneim, Bayrem Jemmali, Simona Mattioli, Michela Contò, Albana Munga, Alessandro Dal Bosco, Imène Ben Salem, Enkeleda Ozuni, Mehmet Erman Or, Egon Andoni, Fabio Gualazzi, Marta Castrica, Gabriele Brecchia and Giulio Curoneadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Animals 2025, 15(14), 2085; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15142085 - 15 Jul 2025
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Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from extruded linseed, alone and combined with Padina pavonica algae extract, on growth performance and metabolic status in fattening rabbits. Sixty New Zealand White rabbits were assigned to three groups, [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from extruded linseed, alone and combined with Padina pavonica algae extract, on growth performance and metabolic status in fattening rabbits. Sixty New Zealand White rabbits were assigned to three groups, as follows: control (CNT), L (5% linseed), and LPP (3.5% linseed + 0.2% algae extract) from weaning (37 days) to slaughter (85 days). Productive performance was assessed through body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and feed intake (FI). Blood was sampled at weaning, 60 days, and slaughter and analyzed for insulin, leptin, cortisol, thyroid hormones (T3, T4), glucose, and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs). The L group showed significantly higher ADG (41.0 ± 1 g/d) and improved FCR (4.1 ± 0.2) compared to LPP (ADG: 37 ± 1 g/d, FCR: 4.6 ± 0.2; p = 0.001). No differences were observed in final BW or FI among groups (p < 0.001). Insulin peaked at 60 days across all groups (p < 0.001), with the LPP group showing the lowest levels (9.8 ± 0.9 µUI/mL; p = 0.043). T3 and T4 increased significantly with age (p < 0.001), and the T3/T4 ratio varied by diet and time (p = 0.005). Cortisol rose only at slaughter (p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with insulin and thyroid hormones. The results suggest that omega-3-rich nutraceuticals can enhance growth performance without disrupting metabolic balance and may modulate specific hormonal responses due to their bioactive compounds. Full article
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11 pages, 232 KiB  
Article
SID Trp–Lys Ratio on Pig Performance and Immune Response After LPS Challenge
by Stephane Alverina Briguente Da Motta, Nathana Rudio Furlani, Antonio Carlos Lourenço, Sergio Xavier Silva Junior, Juliana Cristina Ramos Rezende and Melissa Izabel Hannas
Animals 2025, 15(9), 1194; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15091194 - 23 Apr 2025
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Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the standardized ileal digestible tryptophan-to-lysine (SID Trp–Lys) ratio through the supplementation of different levels of L-tryptophan on pig performance and immune response following an LPS challenge. A total of 120 entire male pigs, with an [...] Read more.
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of the standardized ileal digestible tryptophan-to-lysine (SID Trp–Lys) ratio through the supplementation of different levels of L-tryptophan on pig performance and immune response following an LPS challenge. A total of 120 entire male pigs, with an average body weight of 16.5 ± 0.50 kg, were allocated in a randomized block design with four treatments, ten replicates per treatment, and three animals per experimental unit. The experimental treatments consisted of SID Trp–Lys ratios of 16%, 18%, 21%, and 24%, achieved through L-tryptophan supplementation. The evaluated performance parameters included the final body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Blood samples were collected on day 21 to determine serum serotonin levels, and on day 26, pigs were inoculated with LPS to induce an immune challenge, followed by blood sampling to assess cytokine responses. The results showed that pigs fed the 16% SID Trp–Lys ratio exhibited a lower FBW (p < 0.05). The SID Trp–Lys ratios influenced performance parameters, with quadratic responses (p < 0.05) observed for the FBW and FCR, where the highest FBW and lowest FCR were recorded at 22.05% and 21% SID Trp–Lys, respectively. A linear increase (p < 0.05) was observed for ADG, with a trend for a linear increase (p = 0.056) in ADFI. No effects (p > 0.10) of the SID Trp–Lys ratios were detected on serum serotonin levels. An increase in cytokine levels (GM-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1ra, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-18, and TNF-α) was observed in pigs challenged with LPS (p < 0.10) compared to non-challenged animals. An interaction effect (p < 0.10) was detected for IL-2 and IL-18. SID Trp–Lys ratios between 21% and 24% optimize growth performance in pigs from 16 to 33 kg and modulate the immune response under LPS-induced challenge conditions. Full article
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